Lithium ion secondary battery electrode and method of forming same

1. A method of forming an electrode of a lithium ion secondary battery, the method comprising:

combining a binder and a plurality of active particles to form a mixture;

coating a surface of a substrate with the mixture to form a coated article, wherein the coated article includes the substrate and a mixture layer formed from the mixture and disposed on the surface;

translating the coated article in a first direction along a first conveyor disposed parallel to a first plane;

translating a first plurality of carbon fibers in the first direction along a second conveyor having an end, wherein the second conveyor is spaced apart from and disposed substantially parallel to the first plane;

cutting the first plurality of carbon fibers at the end to form a second plurality of carbon fibers, wherein each of the first plurality of carbon fibers has a first average length and each of the second plurality of carbon fibers has a longitudinal axis and a second average length that is shorter than the first average length;

concurrent to translating the coated article, dropping the second plurality of carbon fibers from the end onto the coated article to thereby insert the second plurality of carbon fibers into the mixture layer so that the longitudinal axis of each of at least a portion of the second plurality of carbon fibers is not parallel to the first plane so as to form a preform, wherein the second plurality of carbon fibers forms a truss structure disposed in three dimensions within the mixture layer; and

heating the preform to form a cured mixture layer disposed on the surface and thereby form the electrode of the lithium ion secondary battery.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including disposing the second plurality of carbon fibers in a random orientation in three dimensions within the mixture layer so that the respective longitudinal axes of adjacent carbon fibers of the second plurality of carbon fibers intersect to form the truss structure.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the truss structure is defined by adjoining carbon fibers of the second plurality of carbon fibers and is flexible and reboundable between a first shape corresponding to a non-lithiated state of the lithium ion secondary battery during discharging of the lithium ion secondary battery, and a second shape corresponding to a lithiated state of the lithium ion secondary battery during charging of the lithium ion secondary battery.

4. The method of claim 1 , further including packing the second plurality of carbon fibers into the mixture layer at a volumetric packing fraction of less than or equal to about 40 parts by volume of the second plurality of carbon fibers based on 100 parts by volume of the mixture layer.

5. The method of claim 2 , further including connecting at least one of the second plurality of carbon fibers to at least an adjacent one of the second plurality of carbon fibers within the mixture layer.

6. The method of claim 2 , further including interspersing the second plurality of carbon fibers and the plurality of active particles within the mixture layer so that the plurality of active particles contacts the second plurality of carbon fibers within the mixture layer.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein dropping uniformly distributes the plurality of active particles within the truss structure so that each portion of the mixture layer includes the plurality of active particles and the plurality of active particles are interspersed within the mixture layer.